ERIC Number: EJ814973
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0732-3123
EISSN: N/A
Beginners' Progress in Early Arithmetic in the Swedish Compulsory School
Eriksson, Gota
Journal of Mathematical Behavior, v27 n3 p177-187 2008
This article focuses on spontaneous knowledge-building in the field of "the arithmetic "of" the child." The aim is to investigate the conceptual progress of fifteen children during their early school years in the compulsory school. The study is based on the epistemology of radical constructivism and the methodology of "multiple clinical interviews". A model of "the arithmetic of the child" elucidates mental structures used by the child in solving problems. The individual interviews are video-recorded. The results show that the children's solutions are compatible with the model. When the researcher adapts problems to the children's available concepts to bring out their capability, they all solve them in their own ways. Further, the conceptual levels of the children differ to a great extent at school start and do not all show conceptual progress after 2 years of traditional teaching. An implication for an alternative teaching process is suggested, namely "the arithmetic "for" the child", accomplished in a triadic teaching process. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Arithmetic, Epistemology, Teaching Methods, Mathematics Instruction, Foreign Countries, Learning Processes, Cognitive Processes, Problem Solving, Interviews, Mathematical Concepts
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A